MEarth Carmel Tabs Carmel Berry Co. Creator as New Director

May 20, 2025—Katie Reneker recalls her first trip to nonprofit MEarth Carmel’s acreage—vividly—even though it was more than 20 years ago. 

MEarth’s working farm and kitchen classroom was far from being realized, and the Carmel Middle School-adjacent space was known by all as Hilton Bialek Habitat.

Reneker visited with her class of Seaside first graders from now-closed Manzanita Elementary, during her first year as a teacher. 

“I remember it so clearly: pulling up in the school bus, piling out, and spending the day on a beautiful piece of land, outside, with docents, and how much the kids loved it—there were so many grins,” she says. “Here was this amazing place, and I had no idea it was here, or any idea we could come and spend time with its plants and animals.”

Drawing from the day’s lessons, she and her class promptly installed a worm bin in their classroom, started a school garden, and launched field trips to places like Waste Management in Marina.

“As humans we will be most inspired to protect the environment if we feel connected to it—if we’ve experienced its joy and wonder,” she says. “I wanted to make sure the kids had that connection.”

A lot has happened since then, for MEarth and Reneker alike, which makes her role as its new executive director, starting next month, feel like a promising partnership.

MEarth has blossomed into a celebrated immersive-learning hub, bursting with organic gardens, a native plant nursery and nonstop hands-on classes, workshops and community events like this month’s MEarth Day, all anchored by a slick LEED-certified teaching kitchen.

Reneker taught for another half decade before having two boys, while developing: 1) parent education curriculum in Seaside schools; 2) a passion for sustainable role modeling (“My kids…would say that I was over the top as an eco-conscious parent!” she says); and 3) now-10-year-old Carmel Berry Company, an Edible Monterey Bay reader favorite for its fresh-pressed elderberry and elderflower products.

The resulting synergy proves easy to identify.

“This is the chance for me to combine all the things I love—education, sustainability, and connecting people to food grown in the best possible way,” Reneker says. “And, woven through all of that, community.”

Fellow Carmel Valley momtrepreneur Erin Fogg—whose youngest will be her third to take MEarth’s eco-literacy class—has served on the nonprofit’s board for years. She identifies helpful qualities that don’t surface on Reneker’s resume. 

“She’s driven and tenacious but very calm and confidence-inspiring,” Fogg says. “When she enters conversations, she’s very clear, and also opens the space for people to contribute and make the most of their skills.” 

As Carmel Berry Co. has the team in place to carry on its evolution, over at MEarth Reneker knows what strengths she wants to build upon—and what opportunities she wants to seize.

Those include distributing more lush produce being grown in the garden through support partnerships with the likes of Big Share; rolling its mobile farm stand to new audiences via farmers markets and festivals; and working with more schools beyond Carmel Unified, on and off-site.

“Fresh organic produce needs to be more accessible, period…” she says. “Vegetables are [our] ambassadors!” 

Plenty of challenges seen and unseen await, of course, but Reneker sounds empowered by a staff that includes Agriculture and Property Director Stewart Gardner and Assistant Property Manager Nicholas Weinman.

“MEarth has a really strong team [and] I’m going to do everything I can to help them keep doing the amazing work they’re doing, to create the runway for them to continue to grow,” she says. “And I’m going to keep pinching myself that I get to come to work every day and help inspire wonder and a desire to live sustainably.”

For more, visit MEarth’s website, which includes opportunities to volunteer and links to MEarth’s summer camp sessions, where limited slots remain open.